With a love for Utah history, homeowner JaeLynn Williams teams with designer Cindy McCarley to revive a Spring City treasure, creating a welcoming haven steeped in comfort and character
Photos by Lindsay Salazar
Imagine living in a town where every street is a design tour. Welcome to Spring City: the first community in Utah to earn a spot— in its entirety— on the U.S. National Historic Register. With more than 300 historic homes and a streetscape still patterned after the 19th century, it’s a rare place where log cabins, adobe walls and stone structures remain part of daily life. One such home is the Behunin-Beck House, originally constructed in 1883. For JaeLynn Williams—whose deep love for her family’s Utah heritage is matched only by her passion for interior design—the historic property felt like fate. When it went up for sale, Williams seized the chance to restore it and quickly brought designer Cindy McCarley on board, setting out to transform the home into a welcoming stay that blends Spring City’s storied past with stylish comfort.
Built in 1883 by settler Isaac Behunin, the stone home is one of over 300 historic buildings in Spring City. To honor the original era, homeowner JaeLynn Williams preserved original flooring, celebrated the home’s deep windows and thick walls and commissioned custom millwork knives to match original moldings.
A charming carved-wood staircase sets a historic tone in the entry, paired with an antique chest from Spring City’s Legacy Antiques and a stately mirror from Alabama’s Crown and Colony Antiques, all grounded by Thibaut’s timeless Katsura wallcovering.
Throughout the home, carefully-selected furnishings and decor strike a balance between old-world form and modern function: pieces that visually belong to the 1880s aesthetic, but with the comfort and durability expected of today’s homes. Lively wall treatments introduce a strikingly modern color story, while paying homage to expressive wallpapers of the home’s era.
“During a tour of another historic Spring City home, the restorer revealed that he had uncovered fragments of chartreuse and maroon wallpaper,” Williams recalls. “That discovery gave us the confidence to lean fully into a vibrant print to set the tone for the home.”
A new spindle bed anchors a main-level guest bedroom, where Schumacher’s Tasmanian Mimosa wallpaper and Thibaut roman shades create a warm, lived-in look that echoes shades of orange from the adjacent living room. Bedside table is by Serena and Lily. Table lamp from Pooky. Bedding is by Schoolhouse and Cielle Home.
Schumacher’s Pollen wallpaper and wainscoting painted in Benjamin Moore’s “Wythe Blue” lend a playful air to the dining room. Dark Windsor chairs surround an antique French drop-leaf table.
The shaded chandelier is by Visual Comfort.
Just inside the front door, an inviting sitting room welcomes guests with richly papered walls, a fresh blue and copper color palette and curated furnishings from Serena and Lily and Ballard Design. The Katsura wallpaper is by Thibaut.
“Color was a huge part of this project,” echoes McCarley. “Every room has a different wall treatment, from wallpaper to wainscoting. We thought a lot about which palette to put in each room.”
In the kitchen, Thibaut Meadow wallcovering in a romantic blush hue gives the room contemporary flair. However, the modern edge stops there. Kitchens in 1883 wouldn’t have featured walls of built-in cabinetry as we know them today—and Williams and McCarley sacrificed storage and appliances to capture the aesthetic.
“Our guiding intent was to honor the architecture and domestic style of the late 19th century, while also maintaining a space that feels inviting and functional
for life in 2025,” says McCarley.
This historic home’s kitchen is a true workspace of form and function. On the walls, Thibaut’s Meadow wallcovering in blush delivers rich, contemporary hues.
Teamed with the heritage-inspired CornuFé range, the custom cabinetry works overtime—hiding refrigerator drawers and smart storage solutions that deliver functionality without sacrificing style.
Traditional kitchen elements—open display shelving, a farm sink with unlacquered brass hardware and a sturdy mahogany island built by Peel Furniture Works—celebrate the home’s heritage. For modern functionality, the designers cleverly integrated contemporary conveniences, from paneled refrigerator drawers and hidden spice shelving near the range to a coveted CornuFé stove with its signature, vintage-inspired facade.
A classic plate rack, mounted above the farm-style sink, showcases a charming collection of vintage china.
Tucked in the corner of the kitchen, restored pioneer-era Windsor chairs and an antique table nestle together to form a cozy breakfast nook. The pieces were restored by Fountain Green Furniture.
The only architectural updates took place upstairs, where the team reimagined the two bedrooms. By borrowing square footage from the oversized guest room, they added plumbing and carved out a new bathroom for the space. In the primary suite, Williams introduced a functional closet while preserving the room’s historic character. The suite’s collection of furnishings is simple yet thoughtful: a vintage rocker and antiqued brass bedframe add warmth and authenticity, while modern lighting and accents ensure that function doesn’t take a backseat to style. On the walls, a custom paint blend softens the room, complementing the abundant natural light for a restful retreat.
At the heart of the kitchen, a large mahogany island custom-built by Peel Furniture Works boasts design rooted in the past, but perfectly suited for modern cooking and entertaining.
True to the typical homestead arrangements in Spring City, the property also features a historic cabin, which was relocated to this lot. In perfect harmony with Williams and McCarley’s bold contemporary palette, the cabin features an original door painted in cheerful blue and decorative, hand-painted tole work in honor of the area’s Scandinavian heritage.
To unify old and new, McCarley commissioned contemporary paneling throughout the home to echo the original wainscoting. In this space, the paneling—finished in Farrow & Ball’s Oxford Stone—forms a timeless backdrop for an antique chest and an original painting by Spring City artist Shirley McKay Britsch.
Dale Peel of Peel Furniture Works expertly reinforced the internal structure of an 20th-century antique cabinet, allowing it to present a period-honoring facade while supporting the weight of a quartz countertop and backsplash in the primary bathroom. “Camille” sconces are from Visual Comfort. Mirror is from Anthropologie.
“The original 1883 floorplan featured no closets, so we introduced one discreetly in the primary bedroom,” shares McCarley. Custom doors and moldings by Peel Furniture Works mirror the slimmer original doors of the home. Antique seating pairs with a Corse French Country brass bedframe; Jane Mural wallpaper is by Schumacher and the paint is a variation on Benjamin Moore’s “Prescott Green,” inspired by the room’s original paint color.
Inside, the decor channels the charm of a bygone era while leaning fully into the structure’s rustic roots. Exposed original logs and hand-restored chinking set the stage for antique-inspired details, including the bathroom’s Thibaut wallcovering— aptly named Hill Garden—that evokes the romance of heritage interiors. The result is a retreat where historic character and refined comfort feel seamlessly intertwined.
A powder blue door, adorned with a Scandinavian-style floral motif, offers a warm welcome to the property’s delightful guest cabin.
Inside the cabin—an original 19th-century structure reconstructed on the property—guests discover a wealth of pioneer-era furnishings including a replica pull-out settee built by Peel Furniture Works, antique chairs and an original G. Sellers Hoosier kitchen storage hutch restored by Fountain Green Furniture. Overhead beams work in tandem with Benjamin Moore’s Buxton Blue to deliver a dose of historic personality.
A clawfoot tub and overhead shower offer luxurious contrast to the guest cabin’s rough-hewn log structure. “This is a space where you can soak in the history,” says Williams. Hill Garden wallpaper is by Thibaut; the shower curtain is from Anthropologie.
A clawfoot tub and overhead shower offer luxurious contrast to the guest cabin’s rough-hewn log structure. “This is a space where you can soak in the history,” says Williams. Hill Garden wallpaper is by Thibaut; the shower curtain is from Anthropologie.
Ultimately, the goal of this redesign was to encapsulate the enduring spirit of the home. “I don’t know if it’s the setting or the architecture with its thick stone walls, but this home feels peaceful,” says Williams. “It feels solid, pleasant and very welcoming—worth preserving in every way.”
JaeLynn Williams, homeowner.
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